No. 20 Beavers hosts Ferris State to resume CCHA play

The Bemidji State University men’s hockey team returns to Central Collegiate Hockey Association play this weekend as it prepares to host Ferris State University for the two team’s first meetings this season.

The No. 20/RV Beavers host the Bulldogs for a two-game CCHA series with six league points on the line this weekend at Sanford Center. Game one will take place Friday, Nov. 4 with a 7:07 p.m. puck drop and will be followed by game two Saturday at 6:07 p.m.

The Bemidji State-Ferris State rivalry dates back to 1999 with this year’s matchup being the 40th and 41st meetings in the all-time series.

The series has been close throughout history but the Bulldogs hold a slight advantage with an 18-16-5 record in the all-time series.

Ferris State swept the only meeting between the two teams last season in Bemidji coming away with wins by scores of 2-1 and 5-2.

Bemidji State trails the all-time series in Bemidji with a 6-10-2 record while the Beavers are 9-8-3 when playing in Big Rapids.

Ferris State played spoiler in last season’s series and was games two and three of a six-game losing streak near the end of the 2021-22 regular season.

Fifth-year senior Ross Armour leads all active skaters with 10 career games against the Bulldogs but senior Elias Rosén leads all active skaters with eight career points (8a) in seven games against FSU. Rosén is followed by Brad Belisle (1g-1a), Kyle Looft (1g-1a), Aaron Myers (1g-1a) and Will Zmolek (2a) who each have two points against the Bulldogs

All three goaltenders on BSU’s roster has seen action against Ferris State with senior Michael Carr the lone netminder to collect a win. He is 1-0-0 with a .929 save percentage and 2.00 goals against average but last faced FSU Feb. 6, 2021.

Sophomore Mattias Sholl has seen the most action against the Bulldogs and in two starts is 0-2-0 with a .897 save percentage and 2.28 goals against average in 79 minutes. Junior Gavin Enright replaced Sholl in the last game and in 40 minutes, allowed two goals in a 5-2 loss for a 2.00 goals against average and 15 saves for a .882 save percentage.

Bemidji State entered the DCU/USCHO.com top-20 poll for the first time this season this week and debuts as No. 20 in the national poll. However, it remains receiving votes in the USAToday/USAHockeyMagazine top-20 poll.

Ferris State is failing to receive votes in either poll.

Bemidji State is coming off a series split with then ranked No. 2 St. Cloud State University where the Beavers opened the series at home with a 3-1 upset victory over the Huskies. St. Cloud State then bit back with a convincing 4-1 victory in St. Cloud in game two.

Friday’s victory was the Beavers first win over St. Cloud since 2014 snapping an eight-game winless streak (0-6-2).

Bemidji State is now 3-2-1 overall and are tied for first in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association series standings with five league points and are 1-0-1 in league play.

Ferris State enters the weekend’s action tied for fifth in the league standings with two points and are 3-4-1 overall and are coming off a weekend where it split its home series with University of St. Thomas by scores of 3-2 (W) and 5-2 (L).

The Beavers are led on offense by Canisius College fifth-year transfer Mitchell Martan who has posted eight points off a team-high five goals and three assists.

Martan is second in the CCHA with a 1.33 points per game average and has scored five goals in the past five games. His .83 goals per game average is the highest in the CCHA and ninth in Division I.

Martan has recorded a point in the past five games which is the Beavers’ longest active point streak.

Martan is followed by junior Eric Martin (2g-4a) and sophomore Jere Vaisanen who have each totaled six points in six games.

Vaisanen follows Martan with a three-game active point streak and has a goal and two assists in the last three games.

Senior Elias Rosén leads the Beavers’ blueline with three points (3a) and is coming off a two-assist game against St. Cloud State, Oct. 28 for his eighth career multi-assist game which leads BSU.

Senior defenseman Kyle Looft paces the Beavers with 19 blocked shots and is fourth in the CCHA and 14th in Division I. He is followed by fellow senior Will Zmolek who has 16 blocked shots.

Sophomore Mattias Sholl has started four of the Beavers’ six games this season and is 2-1-1 with a 1.74 goals against average and .914 save percentage. He is third in the CCHA in GAA and fourth in save percentage.

Sholl stopped 17-of-18 shots to lead Bemidji State to a 3-1 upset win over No. 2 St. Cloud State last Friday.

His fellow netminder junior Gavin Enright has appeared in two games and is 1-1-0 with a 3.87 goals against average and .869 save percentage. Enright is third in the CCHA by averaging 26.5 saves per game.

Bemidji State is averaging 2.67 goals per game which is fifth in the CCHA and are allowing 2.67 goals per game for third in the league. The Beavers’ 0.0 scoring margin is fourth in the CCHA.

Bemidji State has scored five power-play goals in 22 opportunities (.227) this season and is coming off a 3-for-11 weekend (.273) against No. 2 SCSU.

The Beavers are second in the CCHA in power-play percentage but are tied for last with five power-play goals.

The Beavers’ penalty kill has allowed six goals in 19 opportunities (.760) for sixth in the CCHA and held SCSU to two goals on 14 chances last weekend (.143).

Bemidji State leads the CCHA by averaging 33.3 shots per game and have compiled 200 shots in just six games. However, the Beavers have converted on just 16 of those shots to rank last in the league with a .08 shooting percentage.

Bemidji State is fourth in the CCHA with a face-off winning percentage of .514 (190-of-370). Junior Jackson Jutting leads the team with a .557 winning percentage (64-of-115) while fifth-year senior Ross Armour follows at .480 (71-of-148).

Fifth-year senior Ross Armour will co-captain the team with senior defenseman Kyle Looft while senior Elias Rosén and senior Will Zmolek will serve as alternates.

Tom Serratore is in his 22nd season at the helm of the Bemidji State Men’s Hockey program and owns a 357-330-93 career record.

He is 16-18-3 all-time coaching against the Bulldogs.